Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

2014

We source this intense, elegant wine from our four estates in Stags Leap District. We harvest the vineyards by hand in the cool night hours and age the wine in new French oak. The wine displays ripe black and red fruit characters with hints of cocoa powder and black licorice, and it stands up well to rich, roasted pork or dark chocolate truffles.

93/pts - Wine Enthusiast

91/pts - Wine Advocate

Size

750 ml

Add To Cart

$140.00

SKU: PRCSST14QN

TASTING NOTES

Tasting Notes

The ruby/black color of this wine tells you it is pure Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of floral sweet pea, sun-ripened plums, sweet oak, mushroom, and wet earth leap from the glass. The bold, rich, mouth-filling flavors of blackberry, black licorice, espresso, and cocoa powder combine with juicy acidity, tobacco, and tea tannins. Enjoy this well-structured, complex, and layered wine with a silky, lingering finish for years to come.

Production NOTES

Production Notes

2014 was the third consecutive year of drought and the third fantastic vintage with perfectly ripe fruit coupled with high acidity. Weather overall was a bit cooler than in 2013, but conditions were excellent with no real threat to the vines. A mild winter combined with heavy rains in February and March nourished the thirsty vines and resulted in early bud break. The berries were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted, and destemmed to tank, where fermentation took place. Then, the wine was racked to 100 percent new French oak barrels, where it was aged for 26 months prior to bottling.

Vineyard NOTES

Vineyard Notes

The Stags Leap District’s moderate temperature, influenced by the San Pablo Bay, leads to slow, even fruit development throughout the growing season. The majority of our 47 acres across four estate vineyards in this region are densely planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals on steeply-terraced hillsides with Bale clay-loam soils, producing very low yields of intensely flavored grapes.

Food Pairings

Food Pairing Notes

A classic dish like steak Diane pairs beautifully with this supple, fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon. The refinement and approachability of the Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon also pair well with a Sunday roast pork with root vegetables. For the perfect cheese course, Abbaye de Belloc, produced by Benedictine monks, is among the most elegant and silky of aged sheep’s milk cheeses, with hints of brown butter, toasted nuts, and caramel. This pairing is a good example of a wine and cheese of similar intensity.

Wine Analysis

VINTAGE

Vintage

2014

VARIETAL

Varietal

Cabernet Sauvignon

COOPERAGE

Aging

Aging in 100 percent new French oak barrels enhances the complex intensity of this memorable wine.